In light of recent shooting in a movie theatre in Colorado, what would you have done?

[LKD]

first off, rip to all those innocent lives lost.

my question is, realizing this psycho is killing and out to kill as many people in the theatre, what would you have done if you were one of the movie goers? Be absolutely honest. Would you have couched under the seats, played dead, taken cover behind another person, tried to run out, or did your best to see if you could take the guy out and stop the killing?

Personally, based on survival instincts, I think I would've chickened out and tried to save myself.. run for cover, pushing other people, regardless of who was around me. I think it takes a lot of mental preparation ahead of time, ahead of the incident, to do things like putting yourself in harms way in order to save others, to be brave so as to try and confront and take out the shooter yourself.

 

[basketcase]

Guy at the door with an assault rifle firing some kind of gas canisters? Anyone who says they wouldn't panic either has a hell of a lot of training and combat experience or is lying to themselves.

If the guy was right beside you, maybe it would be different.

 

[Butler1000]

I don't think I can answer that. People react differently then they think they might.
What was that phrase I heard......."A hero is someone who is too tired, cold, hungry and scared to give a shit anymore".

 

[james t kirk]

I walked in right in the middle of an armed robbery of a convenience store back in the mid 80's.

I went to rent a movie with a friend and we walked in to "Target Variety" (seriously) in Hamilton on early evening. We walked over to the movie racks and we're debating which movie to rent and all of a sudden I become aware of a whole lot of shouting going on in the store. I look over and the robber has a gun pointed right at the clerk and the clerk has his hands in the air. I'm looking at him and I'm not clueing in. I'm confused and I'm thinking, "what is going on?"

Then all of a sudden it dawned on me, and my EXACT thoughts were "he's robbing the store"

And just as I become aware of what the fuck is going on (and I'm standing there looking at this guy), the robber becomes aware that I'm there with my friend. He comes running over at the two of us and levels the gun at my head and yells, "get to the side of the store NOW"

I'll never forget what my friend said, he said, "no problem buddy, no problem"

So we do as we're told and go to the side of the store. I'm now scared shitless and don't know what to do other than go to the side of the store.

Buddy goes running out the door as fast as he could and leaves us shaking there.

The cops were there within 1 minute en mass, but buddy got away.

Only then do you get all tough thinking you should have jumped him, or was it a real gun (as it turned out, it was a very real gun).

Truth is, you don't know what the fuck to do as you don't have time to compose a solution to the problem at hand. Once you figure it out (which does take time), you brace yourself for getting shot.

That's what you do.

BTW, a few weeks later, the cops in Hamilton shot the same guy to death while he was robbing another variety store. He had stolen the gun from a guy who collected guns. It was real, and it was loaded and it could have taken my head clean off.

Too bad, so sad for one Thomislav Dosen.

 

[d_jedi]

Get down on the ground. Crawl away if possible, play dead otherwise. If an opportunity arises, get the fuck out of there.
Unless you're carrying a gun yourself, the chances of you being a hero and stopping the guy are just about absolutely zero.

 

[Babypowder]

waited for the bootleg

 

[LKD]

I walked in right in the middle of an armed robbery of a convenience store back in the mid 80's.

I went to rent a movie with a friend and we walked in to "Target Variety" (seriously) in Hamilton on early evening. We walked over to the movie racks and we're debating which movie to rent and all of a sudden I become aware of a whole lot of shouting going on in the store. I look over and the robber has a gun pointed right at the clerk and the clerk has his hands in the air. I'm looking at him and I'm not clueing in. I'm confused and I'm thinking, "what is going on?"

Then all of a sudden it dawned on me, and my EXACT thoughts were "he's robbing the store"

And just as I become aware of what the fuck is going on (and I'm standing there looking at this guy), the robber becomes aware that I'm there with my friend. He comes running over at the two of us and levels the gun at my head and yells, "get to the side of the store NOW"

I'll never forget what my friend said, he said, "no problem buddy, no problem"

So we do as we're told and go to the side of the store. I'm now scared shitless and don't know what to do other than go to the side of the store.

Buddy goes running out the door as fast as he could and leaves us shaking there.

The cops were there within 1 minute en mass, but buddy got away.

Only then do you get all tough thinking you should have jumped him, or was it a real gun (as it turned out, it was a very real gun).

Truth is, you don't know what the fuck to do as you don't have time to compose a solution to the problem at hand. Once you figure it out (which does take time), you brace yourself for getting shot.

That's what you do.

BTW, a few weeks later, the cops in Hamilton shot the same guy to death while he was robbing another variety store. He had stolen the gun from a guy who collected guns. It was real, and it was loaded and it could have taken my head clean off.

Too bad, so sad for one Thomislav Dosen.

true.. most people would've just taken cover and tried to save their own ass since we haven't prepared ourselves for it mentally. I think the only situation when one would react like a hero would be when he/she has already thought of such situations before they happen and trained their minds of what they would do.

In a situation like yours where the robber has a few hostages and only a gun pointed at one's head, it might be wise to just keep calm and save yourself.

I'm wondering about a situation like the movie theater, when the shooter is already killing people, lots more trapped, and you're next in line too.. Do you try and save others by risking your own life? or does one just play chicken and hope by luck his gun doesn't get you. :/

 

[dj1470]

used gryfin as a human shield
and then run for my life

 

[Ceiling Cat]

Years ago I was in a store that was being robbed up front, it happened so fast that the majority of the 20 or 30 people in the store did not know what was happening till the robber dashed out. An employee and a young guy that was in the store dashed out after the robber and chased him. The account the employee gave police was that the robber was masked and had parked half a block away and when he ran to his car the employee grabbed him by the shoulder and the robber turned and pointed a sawed off shotgun at him and told him to back off. This was corroborated by the young customer that gave chase to the robber.
The stock clerk and young guy in the store were fools to risk their lives for a small sum of money that was robbed from the store.

In the case of the Colorado gunman, he was so heavily armed that nobody had a chance to get near him. I am familiar with the weapons he carried and he can easily cut someone in half with any one of the four weapons he had.

In these situations the first rule is to stay alive.

 

[FatOne]

used gryfin as a human shield
and then run for my life

Do you often go on movie dates with him?

 

[Frosty]

I would head straight for the exits, trampling everybody in my path including women and children.

 

[afterhours]

first off, rip to all those innocent lives lost.

my question is, realizing this psycho is killing and out to kill as many people in the theatre, what would you have done if you were one of the movie goers? Be absolutely honest. Would you have couched under the seats, played dead, taken cover behind another person, tried to run out, or did your best to see if you could take the guy out and stop the killing?

Personally, based on survival instincts, I think I would've chickened out and tried to save myself.. run for cover, pushing other people, regardless of who was around me. I think it takes a lot of mental preparation ahead of time, ahead of the incident, to do things like putting yourself in harms way in order to save others, to be brave so as to try and confront and take out the shooter yourself.

a better question is - what would you do if your OP and/or kids were there

(I am given to understand that in this case one guy ran out and drove away leaving his wife and kids in the theatre. Which begs a question - what would you now do if you were her).

 

[Aardvark154]

As Butler1000 wrote none of us really know until we are thrust into this sort of extraordinary circumstance.

As has been said "A hero is an ordinary person who in extraordinary circumstances rises above normal expectations."

Or to quote Ralph Waldo Emerson, "A hero is no b*r*a*v*e*r than an ordinary person, he is merely b*r*a*v*e*r five minutes longer."

 

[Scarey]

Not to play superhero but IF he did walk past me on the way up the stairs(with me "playing" dead face down on the floor), your only going to get one chance.Immediately after he got past,fall in behind him rising up as you did,(it's dark and smoky and he has a gas mask on which would limit his peripheral vision)bring your arms around him pulling tight and down as you lock them.This MAY knock his weapon out of his hand or at very least aim it downward.

Once there.Pivot your body ing him with you and aim straight down the stairs.Head first.With his arms locked he'll land on his head ,gas mask and all which will A)shatter or B) dislodge and blind him.Hang on for dear life.The closer you are to him the less chance you have of taking a bullet.Once there,grab his arms as quickly as possible and to be quite honest slam his head into the floor.

I worked as a doorman for 3 years in my early 20's.We got told alot of neat stuff.All this should take about 5 seconds.

 

[asterwald]

play dead. I used to do it in school when being bullied and it worked fine.

 

[LKD]

Not to play superhero but IF he did walk past me on the way up the stairs(with me "playing" dead face down on the floor), your only going to get one chance.Immediately after he got past,fall in behind him rising up as you did,(it's dark and smoky and he has a gas mask on which would limit his peripheral vision)bring your arms around him pulling tight and down as you lock them.This MAY knock his weapon out of his hand or at very least aim it downward.

Once there.Pivot your body ing him with you and aim straight down the stairs.Head first.With his arms locked he'll land on his head ,gas mask and all which will A)shatter or B) dislodge and blind him.Hang on for dear life.The closer you are to him the less chance you have of taking a bullet.Once there,grab his arms as quickly as possible and to be quite honest slam his head into the floor.

I worked as a doorman for 3 years in my early 20's.We got told alot of neat stuff.All this should take about 5 seconds.

i'd have dashed into him with my hardest rugby/football tackle ever, right above his knees to knock him to the ground, so hard and fast he wouldn't have time to think what just hit him and then do what you described..

I wonder if a choke hold around his neck from the back would help.. I wonder if one could dislodge the psycho's head in such rage too

 

[msog87]

would have hugged the ground and tried to crawl out. the ppl in the front rows got fucked and those standing up running for the exits. there would have been pile ups at the exits easy targets

 

[Mod100]

What does one do when faced with no escape and a hail of bullets coming ones way. Hit the deck on top of Sweet Petite Jessica to protect her from the evil that's present. What every red blooded North American would do right?

 

[nottyboi]

Stay down and wait until it's over....the guy had an AR-15....not much you can do if you don't have a gun.

 

[GG2]

I'd pull a Rambo and save the day. I carry a red bandana in my pocket just in case.